February 18, 2021
Colombia’s war crimes tribunal ordered investigations into the military for allegedly tampering witnesses testifying against former commanders over the mass killing of civilians.
The Special Jurisdiction for Peace formally asked the Prosecutor General’s Office and Inspector General’s Office to investigate witness claims that lawyers provided by the military were telling former soldiers not to incriminate generals “to avoid problems” in 2019 and last year.
One soldier testified that attorneys provided by the Specialized Technical Defense Fund (Fondetec) “told us: what evidence do you have to link [retired] general [Mario] Montoya, the [former] commander of the army. Your situation could be turned upside down.”